Anti-skid surface

ABSTRACT

A device to slow down and/or stop means of transport on pavement, in particular a road pavement. The device includes a series of lamellar elements substantially parallel to each other, and provided with upper edges protruding from the upper part of the pavement, or substantially flush with the pavement.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a device to slow down and/or stop means of transport on a pavement.

The device according to the present invention can be installed on any pavement, for example a road, it can act substantially on any type of means of transport equipped with tires and substantially in any weather condition.

By road pavement or surface layer, we mean the surface covering layer of the road surface, understood in the broadest sense of the term, generally made of bituminous conglomerate.

By means of transport, here and in the following description and claims, we mean any means of transport or vehicle provided with tires, chosen for example in a group comprising cars, motorcycles, buses, coaches, trucks, ambulances or other emergency vehicles, or suchlike, bicycles, roller skates, scooters, skateboards, or suchlike.

Furthermore, the present invention can be used to slow down and/or stop means of air, space or atmospheric transport provided with tires, such as for example airliners, ultralight aircraft, or suchlike.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Different solutions are known to make, directly on the road pavement, systems or devices that cause or induce a progressive slowing down or an emergency stop of means of transport in motion.

Solutions exist that highlight, for example through the use of special phosphorescent and/or fluorescent colors, and adequate horizontal and vertical signs, the presence and visibility of pedestrian crossings or dangerous bends or, also, proximity to critical points.

Acoustic and/or visual speed bumps also exist which exploit the passage of the vehicle on suitable strips or protrusions to produce a sound and/or luminous warning to alert the driver of the means of transport.

However, these solutions have the disadvantage that they do not guarantee full road safety, as they do not act directly as speed bumps for the means of transport but rely on the reactions of the driver.

Techniques are also known which provide to use particular mixtures mixed with the asphalt to increase the skid resistance between road pavement and tires, for example in proximity to pedestrian crossings, dangerous bends or critical points.

These solutions, generally, do not prove particularly efficient in the case of rain or, generally, of adverse weather conditions.

The building of bollards or road speed reducers, such as for example speed bumps, is also known, to reduce the speed of vehicles in determinate zones, such as populated centers or dangerous junctions.

Bollards are essentially rigid bodies made on the road pavement protruding with respect to the road pavement itself, so that the driver of the means of transport is forced to slow down or stop his means of transport to avoid a collision between the means of transport and the bollard.

However, this solution imposes a forced slowing down on all means of transport, including emergency vehicles, such as for example ambulances, fire trucks, police or military vehicles, or suchlike, thus hindering the correct performance of possible rescue operations.

Motorized bollards are also known which, in a non-activated condition, are stored retracted in the road pavement to allow authorized means of transport, such as for example emergency vehicles, to transit.

This solution, however, requires emergency vehicles to wait for the bollards to be retracted, and therefore slows down rescue operations.

One purpose of the present invention is to provide a device able to slow down and/or stop, substantially safely, in a short time and in a reduced space, any means of transport provided with tires, independently of its mass and/or its sizes.

Another purpose is to provide a device that facilitates and guarantees a progressive stopping or slowing down substantially in all weather conditions.

It is also a purpose to provide a device that increases the skid resistance of the road pavement in order to allow a greater braking action.

It is also a purpose to provide a device that allows, at the same time, authorized means of transport, such as emergency vehicles, to transit.

It is also a purpose to provide a device able to be applied on any road pavement, intended in the broadest sense, including, for example, airport runways or other spaces intended for the circulation of means of transport.

It is also a purpose to provide a road pavement with a surface which is mechanically resistant to impacts and to weight of the means of transport, and at the same time able to provide a high skid resistance for tires during sudden braking in zones that are dangerous or subject to forced stops, such as for example mountain roads, level crossings, toll booths, cross-roads, dangerous hills or bends, or even the end segments of runways for landing/take-off of airplanes.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purposes, a device to slow down and/or stop means of transport on road pavement, according to the present invention, comprises a series of lamellar elements, parallel to each other, suitable to be inserted, to protrude from the upper part or be disposed substantially flush, in any pavement, in particular a road pavement.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the upper edges of the lamellar elements define an anti-skid profile.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the device can also comprise a series of connection cross pieces disposed, with respect to the lamellar elements, to form a grid-type structure.

The upper edges of the connection cross pieces can define anti-skid profiles.

The succession of the anti-skid profiles, of the lamellar elements and/or of the cross pieces, defines an anti-skid surface in the road pavement with the function of slowing down or stopping the means of transport that pass over it in a short time and safely.

Advantageously, the device according to the present invention allows to define a better braking action on known road pavements, independently of the positioning of the lamellar elements with respect to the direction of travel of the means of transport.

In particular, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lamellar elements can be disposed perpendicularly with respect to the direction of travel of the means of transport, so that the tire has the maximum braking surface to grip on.

The device, when installed, is inserted in the road pavement and partially covered with a covering layer of adhesive material, generally bitumen, so that the upper edges of the lamellar elements and of the cross pieces remain partially exposed.

Advantageously, the device is installed so that the upper edges of the lamellar elements and of the possible cross pieces are located substantially at the same level as the road pavement, to guarantee continuity between tires and road pavement and, at the same time, determine a high skid resistance of the road pavement.

The device and the pavement according to the present invention, therefore, do not define rigid obstacles, so as not to cause impacts for the means of transport.

Furthermore, by increasing the skid resistance, advantageously, the present invention allows to slow down and/or stop the vehicle only when the means of transport needs to be slowed down, that is, when the means of transport is braked by the action of the driver. If it were not necessary to slow down or stop the means of transport, for example in the case of emergency vehicles, the present invention allows the transit thereof without hindering rescue operations.

According to possible embodiments of the invention, the device can be applied to any type of road pavement—even non-bituminous—provided that the stability and the anchorage between the device and the road pavement itself are guaranteed.

The device can be installed in proximity to zones that are dangerous or subject to forced stops, such as for example mountain roads, level crossings, motorway toll booths, crossroads, downward slopes, pedestrian crossings or dangerous bends, or also the end segments of runways for landing/take-off of airplanes.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the upper edges of the lamellar elements and/or the possible cross pieces can have a series of teeth.

In particular, the teeth can have any shape suitable to facilitate the slowing down or stopping of the means of transport.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the device can be made of any material suitable to support the high operating loads and to perform the braking function.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the device can generally be made of a metal or composite material, for example steel or its alloys.

Advantageously, the device according to the present invention allows to:

-   increase the grip between tire and road pavement, increasing the     latter's skid resistance; -   guarantee the substantially immediate and safe braking of the means     of transport.

When installed, the device is generally disposed upstream of the stop or danger zone with respect to the direction of advance of the means of transport, for example upstream of a pedestrian crossing, of a level crossing, or at the end of a take-off/landing runway of an airplane.

According to possible variant embodiments, a plurality of devices can be installed in order to cover a more or less extended area of the road pavement according to the intervention required, in order to guarantee the increase in the skid resistance between tire and road pavement.

Embodiments of the present invention also concern a method to lay a device to slow down and/or stop means of transport, as described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section view of a device in its condition of use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a variant of the device of FIG. 1 according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view from above of the device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a lateral view of the device of FIG. 2 from a first angle;

FIG. 5 is a further lateral view of the device of FIG. 2 from a second angle;

FIG. 6 is a section view taken along the section line VI-VI of the device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partial section view of the device in FIG. 2 in its condition of use.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

We will now refer in detail to the various embodiments of the present invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawings. Each example is supplied by way of illustration of the invention and shall not be understood as a limitation thereof. For example, the characteristics shown or described insomuch as they are part of one embodiment can be adopted on, or in association with, other embodiments to produce another embodiment. It is understood that the present invention shall include all such modifications and variants.

A device 10 to slow and/or stop a means of transport, according to the present invention, comprises a series of lamellar elements 12 substantially parallel to each other.

According to a possible embodiment of the invention, the device 10, in addition to the lamellar elements 12, can also comprise connection elements or cross pieces 13.

The cross pieces 13 can be disposed inclined at an angle α with respect to the lamellar elements 12 to form a grid-type structure 11.

Advantageously, the angle α can be about 90°, so as to produce a grid-type structure 11 with regular rectangular cells.

According to possible variant embodiments of the invention, the lamellar elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 can be disposed to form a grid-like structure 11 with rhomboidal cells.

Advantageously, the grid-type structure 11 allows to make the passage of the tire over the lamellar elements 12 less tortuous, reducing the noise generated by the means of transport.

According to possible embodiments, the lamellar elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 can be overlapped, that is, they can be connected one over the other to define the grid-type structure 11. For example, the cross pieces 13 can be located above and transverse to the lamellar elements 12.

Once the grid-type structure 11 has been assembled, it can be joined at different points by welding to guarantee the solidity of the device 10.

According to variants of the invention, the device 10 can have any size or geometrical conformation corresponding to the technical characteristics of the road pavement. For example, the device 10 can have a rectangular shape, for example square.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the device 10 can be modular so that it is possible to quickly replace or add components, for example in the event of damage.

According to one aspect of the invention, the lamellar elements 12 of the device 10 are disposed substantially perpendicularly to the direction of travel.

According to a possible embodiment, the lamellar elements 12 can be slightly inclined by an angle β with respect to the road surface 27, toward the direction of origin of the means of transport, see FIG. 1, so as to guarantee a greater contrasting and load-absorbing action during the step of stopping and blocking the vehicle. For example, the angle β can be comprised between 10° and 20°, preferably about 15°.

According to possible embodiments of the invention, the lamellar elements 12 and the possible cross pieces 13 can be distanced from each other with a constant pitch P.

The lamellar elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 have respectively an upper edge 24 and 26, which, during use, are disposed flush with the road pavement 21.

The cross pieces 13 have a lower edge 25, respectively opposite the upper edge 26.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the upper edges 24 of the lamellar elements 12 define anti-skid profiles 14.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the upper edges 26 of the cross pieces 13 can define anti-skid profiles 15.

According to possible embodiments of the invention, the upper edges 24, 26 of the lamellar elements 12 and/or of the cross pieces 13 can be flat. Advantageously, the upper edges 24, 26 can have a surface roughness such as to increase the skid resistance.

According to one possible embodiment, the lamellar elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 can have a serrated upper edge 24, 26. In particular, the upper edge 24 of the lamellar elements 12 can consist of trapezoidal teeth 18 one after the other.

According to another possible embodiment, the serrated upper edge 26 of the cross pieces 13 can consist of square teeth 17 one after the other.

However, we do not exclude that the anti-skid profiles 14, 15 can be made in another way suitable for the purpose, for example with different toothing, so as to have a high skid resistance.

The succession of the anti-skid profiles 14 and of the anti-skid profiles 15 defines an anti-skid surface 16.

Advantageously, the anti-skid profile 14 has a greater skid resistance than the skid resistance of the road pavement 21, independently of weather conditions. In this way, even in the event of rain, snow or other weather conditions, the anti-skid profile 14 allows to slow down or stop the means of transport safely.

According to possible embodiments of the invention, the cross pieces 13 and the lamellar elements 12 have respectively notches 19, 20 such as to allow a secure and stable connection between the cross pieces 13 and the lamellar elements 12.

In particular, the cross pieces 13 can have notches 20 in the lower edge 25, mating in a slot-in manner with respective notches 19 present in the upper edge 24 of the lamellar elements 12.

The lamellar elements 12, see FIG. 4, can have a height H1 comprised between 2.5 cm and 3.5 cm, preferably about 3 cm, and a thickness S1 comprised between 2.5 mm and 4 mm, preferably about 3 mm.

The notches 19 of the lamellar elements 12 can have a width D1 comprised between 2.5 mm and 4 mm, preferably about 3 mm, and a depth T1 variable between 1.3 cm and 1.7 cm, preferably about 1.5 cm, suitable for the insertion of the cross pieces 13.

The distance between one notch 19 and the next in the lamellar elements 12 is identified by a pitch P1. In a pitch P1, there can be between two and four trapezoidal teeth 18, preferably three.

The cross-pieces 13, FIG. 5, can have a height H2 comprised between 2 cm and 3 cm, preferably 2.5 cm, and a thickness S2 substantially equal to S1.

The notches 20 of the cross pieces 13 can have a width D2 comprised between 2.5 mm and 4 mm, for example about 3 mm, and a depth T2 comprised between 0.8 cm and 1.2 cm, for example 1 cm for the insertion of the lamellar elements 12.

The distance between one notch 20 and the next in the cross pieces 13 is identified by a pitch P2. One or two, preferably one, square teeth can be made in the pitch P2, according to the size of the pitch P2.

The height of the trapezoidal teeth 18 and square teeth 17 can be comprised between 3 mm and 5 mm, for example 4 mm.

According to possible embodiments, when installed, the trapezoidal teeth 18 and the square teeth 17 can be at the same height as the road pavement 21.

Alternatively, the trapezoidal teeth 18 of the lamellar elements 12 can be, when installed, at the same height as the road pavement 21, while the square teeth 13 can be below this level.

With reference to FIG. 7, the device 10 is shown during use in a road pavement 21.

According to the invention, the device 10 is inserted in the road pavement 21 and after it has been installed it is filled with a layer generally of bituminous conglomerate, guaranteeing solidity and stability to the structure.

According to the invention, the device 10 is installed in such a way that the lamellar elements 12 are located transversely to the direction of travel of the means of transport. In this way, advantageously, the disposition of the device 10 allows to expose the largest anti-skid surface in contact, during use, with the tires of a means of transport.

The device 10 can be inserted during the making of the road pavement 21, or subsequently, following milling, cutting and/or scraping of the road pavement 21.

For example, by milling the road pavement 21, a suitable seating 22 is made, suitable to accommodate the device 10.

The seating 22 has to be deep enough for the device 10 to be installed, FIG. 7, so that it does not protrude from the road pavement 21, so as to guarantee the grip of the tire on the road pavement 21.

Furthermore, the depth of the seating 22 can be such as to reach the road surface 27, according to the thickness of the road pavement 21. The materials that the road surface 27 consists of can be cement mortar and/or bituminous conglomerate with different sizes and compositions, or similar materials.

The width and length of the seating 22 will be equal respectively to at least the transverse and longitudinal size of the device 10. Before the insertion of the device 10, it can be advantageous to level the possible irregularities of the seating 22, in particular of the road surface 27.

The depth of the seating 22 can be comprised between 4 cm and 7 cm. Preferably the depth of the seating can be greater than the height of the device 10, for example by about 2 cm, so as to consider the possible addition of layers of material to level the seating 22.

According to possible embodiments, the road surface 27 and the road pavement 21 can be inclined, for example in correspondence with mountain roads or parabolic curves. The seating 22 is therefore made taking into consideration possible inclines.

According to one embodiment of the invention, in order to guarantee greater solidity to the device 10, the latter can preferably be laid on a fiber-reinforced concrete base to which it is attached with suitable attachment means. This solution could be particularly advantageous in the case of heavy means of transport, as the fiber-reinforced concrete increases resistance to loads and impacts.

According to a further variant, a layer of bitumen emulsion could be applied in the seating 22, for example by hand or by spraying, and/or a layer of mortar or cement, in order to level the base of the seating 22.

The device 10, once positioned in the seating 22, is partly covered by a covering layer 28. The covering layer 28 is generally bituminous conglomerate.

The covering layer 28 can also be of another material, such as for example concrete or other stabilizing material, suitable to guarantee the stability of the device 10.

In the event that the device 10 comprises a grid-type structure 11, the lamellar elements 12 and the cross pieces 13 can be disposed with respect to each other according to their different heights, as well as to the depth of the corresponding notches 19, 20.

In other words, the cross pieces 13 can be raised by a distance X comprised between 3 mm and 6 mm, advantageously 5 mm, from the lower edge 25 of the lamellar elements 12. In this way, channels 29 are defined between the cross pieces 13 and the road surface 27, to allow the covering layer 28, such as cement or bitumen, to transit between the lamellar elements 12.

Afterwards, the covering layer 28 is compacted so as to fix the device 10 in the seating 22.

The covering layer 28 of the device 10 is disposed so as not to cover the upper edges 24, 26, so as to also guarantee the anti-skid functional characteristic which characterizes the present invention.

Advantageously, following the laying of the covering layer 28, it can be provided to lay a sheet of plastic material, in particular made of rubber.

According to a possible variant embodiment of the present invention, a method to lay a device 10 to slow down and/or stop means of transport can comprise:

-   making a seating 22 in a road pavement 21, -   inserting the device 10 in the seating 22, -   covering the device 10 with a covering layer 28.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the laying method further comprises spreading a sheet of plastic material over the device 10 and the covering layer 28;

-   compressing and leveling the sheet of plastic material in order to     compact the covering layer 28 and to insert at least the anti-skid     profile 14 in the sheet of plastic material; and—removing the sheet     of plastic material so that the anti-skid profile 14 is flush with     the road pavement 21 and protrudes by a height Z from the covering     layer 28.

In this way, when the sheet of plastic material is removed, the anti-skid profiles 14 and possibly the anti-skid profiles 15 can protrude by height Z from the covering layer 28 and be flush with the road pavement 21, in order to guarantee the grip of the means of transport, see FIG. 7.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 7, according to the present invention, only the anti-skid profiles 14 protrude with respect to the covering layer 28 and are flush with the road pavement 21.

According to a variant, in the case of teeth 17, 18, these can be inserted in the sheet of plastic material during the compression step.

According to some embodiments, the trapezoidal teeth 18 and the square teeth 17 can protrude from the covering layer 28 by a height Z comprised between 1 mm and 4 mm, preferably between 2 mm and 3 mm and remain flush with the road pavement 21. In this way, the device 10 in the seating 22 produces an anti-skid pavement 23 with a series of small obstacles in the direction of travel with a greater skid resistance than the skid resistance of the road pavement 21.

According to a possible variant embodiment, the height Z corresponds to the thickness of the sheet of plastic material.

Advantageously, the upper edge 24 and possibly the upper edge 26 are flush with the surface of the road pavement 21 so as not to cause loss of grip of the means of transport.

Consequently, the high skid resistance of the anti-skid pavement 23 allows, advantageously, to slow down and/or stop the means of transport in a short time and in a small space, independently of their mass and/or their sizes. Furthermore, the grip that is maintained with the remaining road pavement 21 ensures that the means of transport stop in substantial safety.

According to possible embodiments, the anti-skid pavement 23 can be advantageously colored with phosphorescent, fluorescent or similar colors, and combined with suitable vertical and/or horizontal signs to make it suitably visible.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the device 10 to slow down and/or stop means of transport as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of device 10, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby. 

1. A device to slow down and/or stop means of transport on a pavement, in particular a road pavement, said device comprising a series of lamellar elements substantially parallel to each other, and provided with upper edges protruding from the upper part of, or substantially flush with, said pavement, wherein said upper edges define an anti-skid profile.
 2. The device as in claim 1, comprising cross pieces disposed inclined by an angle with respect to said lamellar elements to form a grid-type structure.
 3. The device as in claim 2, wherein said cross pieces have upper edges that define an anti-skid profile, said anti-skid profiles of said upper edges together defining an anti-skid surface.
 4. The device as in claim 2, wherein said cross pieces have notches mating in slot-in manner with respective notches present on said lamellar elements.
 5. The device as in claim 1, wherein said anti-skid profiles of the lamellar elements are made from a series of trapezoidal teeth disposed one after the other.
 6. The device as in claim 3, wherein said anti-skid profiles of the cross pieces are made from a series of square teeth disposed one after the other.
 7. An anti-skid pavement comprising at least one device to slow down and/or stop a means of transport as in claim 1, inserted in a seating made in the road pavement and partly covered by a covering layer.
 8. The anti-skid pavement as in claim 7, wherein the lamellar elements of the device are inclined with respect to the road surface by an angle comprised between 10° and 20°.
 9. The anti-skid pavement as in claim 7, wherein the anti-skid profiles of said device protrude with respect to a covering layer and are flush with the road pavement.
 10. A method to lay a device to slow down and/or stop means of transport as in claim 1, said laying method comprising: making a seating in a road pavement; inserting said device in said seating; covering said device with a covering layer, wherein said laying method provides to: spread a sheet of plastic material over said device and said covering layer; compress and level the sheet of plastic material in order to compact said covering layer and to insert at least said anti-skid profile inside said sheet of plastic material; remove said sheet of plastic material so that said anti-skid profile is flush with said road pavement and protrudes by a height from said covering layer. 